The present invention relates to a box support structure for an instrument panel, in which an engaging portion provided at an article storage box pivotally engages with an axle portion provided at a peripheral edge portion of an opening of the instrument panel so that the article storage box can swing with reference to an axis of the axle portion so as to be switchable between a closed state in which the article storage box is housed in the opening, and an opened state in which the article storage box projects from the opening, the article storage box including a box body and a lid attached to the box body, the lid closing the opening in the closed state.
An article storage box such as a glove box includes two parts, i.e., a box body and a lid, for hiding a lock mechanism for locking the article storage box in the closed state at a peripheral edge portion of an opening of an instrument panel and ensuring the rigidity of the lid.
In the aforementioned box support structure for the instrument panel including such article storage box, the weight of the article storage box itself and the load of an article therein are applied to the instrument panel-side axle portion via the engaging portion, and thus, the axle portion is required to have high rigidity and strength. Furthermore, a force is applied from the axle portion to the engaging portion, and thus, the engaging portion is also required to have high rigidity and strength.
Therefore, conventionally, there have been developed a technique, such as disclosed in JP 4015512 B, in which a connection rib connecting a center portion in an axis direction of an axle portion and a peripheral edge portion of an opening of an instrument panel is provided and a slit is formed in an engaging portion to allow the axle portion to enter the slit when the glove box is in a closed state, and a technique, such as disclosed in JP 2005-145131 A, in which a grid-like reinforcing rib is provided at an engaging portion.
However, in the technique disclosed in JP 4015512 B, as a result of providing a connecting rib for connecting a center portion in an axis direction of an axle portion and a peripheral edge portion of an opening of an instrument panel, the structure around the axle portion is complicated, requiring a slide mold and consequently increasing the cost of the mold. In addition, since the structure around the axle portion becomes large, the structure of the peripheral edge portion of the opening of the instrument panel also becomes large.
Meanwhile, the technique disclosed in JP 2005-145131 A, as a result of providing a rib-like reinforcing rib at an engaging portion, the structure of the engaging portion is complicated, requiring a slide mold and consequently increasing the cost of the mold as with the technique disclosed in JP 4015512 B.